Chapter 40

Sorry, I overslept……

No matter how talented an alchemy apprentice is, they still need time to grow. The profound and obscure theories of alchemy, the vast sea of alchemical formulas, each one requires countless hours of study. Many alchemy apprentices spend their entire lives and still fail to truly step into the ranks of alchemists.

One could say that those who become alchemists by the age of thirty are rare geniuses.

As for someone like Khadgar, who became a grand alchemist at the age of forty, there is only one such person in the entire Stormwind City.

But now, a grand alchemist who has concocted Volcanic and Ghost potions, whose strength is almost on par with a master, is described by Khadgar as "unimaginably young"...

Although Khadgar didn't specify exactly how young, the people present could guess that it was likely no more than thirty-five years old. Otherwise, Khadgar's words wouldn't have been so exaggerated.

The Black Horn Auction House has been rooted in Stormwind City for twenty years. How could the people present not know the character of this chief auctioneer? The chief auctioneer has always been meticulous in his speech. Even during the auction, Khadgar would never use exaggerated methods to introduce any auction item.

When Khadgar says an auction item is one-of-a-kind, it means that even if you search the entire world of Northrend, you won't find a second one.

Now it's the same...

When Khadgar says this is a grand alchemist who is unimaginably young, then this grand alchemist's age will definitely not exceed thirty-five years...

Think about it, a grand alchemist under thirty-five years old, and one who is always on the verge of becoming a master.

This possibility, which drives people to madness, directly plunged the venue into a frenzy. Everyone was guessing and discussing, and their interest in this future master even surpassed the two alchemical potions themselves.

In just a few short minutes, at least seven or eight leaders of top-tier forces called their most trusted and capable subordinates and issued various orders in the most unequivocal tones. As for what orders were given, only they themselves would know...

In any case, before the final auction began, the entire venue was already in an uproar.

"Alright, next, these two alchemical potions will start with a base price of 300,000 gold coins, and each bid must not be less than 30,000 gold coins."

Seeing that the desired effect had been achieved, Khadgar announced the start of the final auction with a satisfied smile.

"1,000,000 gold coins." As soon as Khadgar's words fell, a voice came from the second-floor box: "We, the Ashen Tower, will take these two alchemical potions."

The one who bid was the middle-aged man who had previously competed with Solomon for the Annihilation Hell Incantation.

The enmity between the Ashen Tower and the Sage Tower can be traced back to the distant Third Dynasty. These two mage forces, both located in the eastern part of the kingdom, have been in constant open and covert struggles. They compete for everything they can, resources, talents, knowledge, equipment, and will use any means to suppress their opponents.

Hundreds of years ago, there was even a small-scale war, in which many mages lost their lives, and the seeds of hatred were planted in the hearts of the survivors. Although there has been no direct conflict in the past few hundred years, the covert struggles have been even more intense than before.

Since the Ashen Tower has made a move, the Sage Tower naturally cannot fall behind.

Although the Annihilation Hell cost 1,400,000 gold coins, half of it was borne by Lin Yun, so Solomon still had a considerable amount of funds.

"Are you saying that just because the Ashen Tower wants it, it's yours?" Before Khadgar could even speak, Solomon's coughing voice came from the box: "1,100,000 gold coins."

Such an obvious provocation, almost slapping them in the face, how could the Ashen Tower's representative tolerate it? A cold snort was heard, and a new bid followed immediately.

"1,300,000 gold coins."

"1,400,000 gold coins."

"1,500,000 gold coins."

"1,600,000 gold coins."

"1,700,000 gold coins."

...

In just a few moments, the price was raised to 1,700,000 gold coins, with no one else intervening. In such a large venue, with so many top-tier forces, no one bid at this time.

Who in the eastern part of the kingdom doesn't know that these two mage forces have been at each other's throats for a long time? Now it looks like they are competing for two alchemical potions, but in reality, they are just trying to suppress each other.

At this moment, intervening would mean getting involved in the struggle between the two mage forces...

It's not that everyone is really afraid of the two mage forces. Those who can sit here today are all influential figures. At their level, there is no such thing as fear. They consider whether it's worth it. If there were a huge benefit, they would jump in even if they were scared out of their wits.

The problem is, it's far from that point...

Deciding the ownership of two alchemical potions before offending the two mage forces is like asking for trouble...

It's better to wait.

Wait until they decide the winner, then make a move. No matter how domineering the two mage forces are, they can't stop us from participating in the auction, right? Even if we agree, the Black Horn Auction House wouldn't allow it...

So everyone was waiting, waiting for them to decide the winner.

Fortunately, the wait wasn't long.

When the price reached 1,700,000 gold coins, Solomon was the first to falter. There was no way around it; although Lin Yun had shared the cost of the Annihilation Hell, 700,000 gold coins still fell on the Sage Tower. This was not a small amount, and spending another one to two million gold coins on two alchemical potions was too much for the Sage Tower to bear.

Of course, even though he couldn't keep up, Solomon wouldn't admit defeat.

"Forget it, the Sage Tower doesn't need these two alchemical potions. Consider it a pity for you, Ashen Tower, and I'll let you have them..."

The middle-aged mage only responded with a cold laugh...

Undoubtedly, this confrontation between the two mage forces ended with the victory of the Ashen Tower...

However, the victory of the Ashen Tower did not mean that the auction of the two alchemical potions was over. On the contrary, the real auction was just beginning.

Sure enough, as soon as Solomon announced his withdrawal, a new bid appeared immediately.

"1,800,000 gold coins."

Lin Yun glanced from afar. The one who bid this time was a middle-aged man, around forty years old, tall and stern, carrying a large sword with a dark black body on his back. A strong bloody aura emanated from the sword, indicating that this was a powerful figure who had experienced countless battles. Only such a powerful figure could wield the weapon on his back.

"This is Sas, the leader of the Silver Moon Mercenary Group." The blow of losing the auction to the Ashen Tower didn't seem as great as outsiders imagined. Solomon still looked cheerful, and his coughing didn't change much. Seeing Lin Yun's puzzled expression, he patiently introduced him: "When your father was alive, he had many collaborations with them. The Silver Moon Mercenary Group is incredibly wealthy. Just wait, the Ashen Tower will soon be crying..."

"2,000,000 gold coins."

It's hard to say if the middle-aged mage was crying, but his voice was clearly dry when he bid. The previous bidding war had defeated Solomon, but the Ashen Tower was also struggling. 2,000,000 gold coins was not a small amount, even for a top-tier force like the Ashen Tower, it would take a lot of effort to come up with.

"2,500,000 gold coins."

"..."

Sas's second bid raised the price to 2,500,000 gold coins. The Ashen Tower hesitated for a long time, seemingly trying to hold on, and then bid 2,600,000 gold coins.

But then...

"3,000,000 gold coins."

This time, the Ashen Tower's box was completely silent...

No, not just the Ashen Tower's box...

Now the entire venue was silent, and everyone's gaze fell on Sas, filled with shock and confusion. No one expected Sas to bid such an astonishing price. This was 3,000,000 gold coins, enough to cause a stir in any industry in Stormwind City.

Indeed, the two alchemical potions on the auction stage could be described as treasures, and they were among the top few auction items in the history of the Black Horn Auction House. But no matter how precious or top-tier they were, it wasn't worth such a desperate bid.

3,000,000 gold coins could hire a true master...

If it were anyone else, most of the venue would think they were crazy, but it was Sas who did this. Sas's judgment in Stormwind City was well-known, and he had almost never made a mistake in the past decade. Whether it was investing in the Flash Gold Guild or befriending the Sage Tower, many people thought he was crazy at the time, but looking back, it was clear how far-sighted the leader of the Silver Moon Mercenary Group was.

Could it be that these two alchemical potions are like that today?

Thinking of this, those who had the ability to compete couldn't help but waver...

But after wavering, they thought again, this was 3,000,000 gold coins, and they immediately put down their hands...

The price of 3,000,000 gold coins indeed scared everyone.

"Leader Sas of the Silver Moon Mercenary Group has bid 3,000,000 gold coins. Is there anyone who can bid higher?" At this moment, Khadgar on the auction stage was beaming with joy, his voice even louder than usual.

In recent years, the Black Horn Auction House had done many big deals, but this was the first time Khadgar himself had encountered a situation where the price kept rising by tens of thousands of gold coins and finally reached 3,000,000 gold coins.